Vehicle seat

ABSTRACT

In a vehicle seat including a first seat portion movable between a use position in which the first seat portion is ready for use and a retracted position in which the first seat portion not in use is located, and a second seat portion movable between a use position in which the second seat portion is ready for use and a retracted position in which the second seat portion not in use is located, an actuator mechanism is configured to cause the second seat portion to start moving toward its retracted position at a time when the first seat portion passes a predetermined intermediate position that is on a way from the use position toward the retracted position.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a vehicle seat such as a car seat, andparticularly to a vehicle seat in which a seat layout can be changedwith increased swiftness.

BACKGROUND ART

A seat layout changeable configuration for a passenger car's rear seator other vehicle seat is known in which a seat cushion is frontwardlytipped up and thereafter a seat back is frontwardly tilted down so thata storage space in a rear portion of the vehicle is enlarged. In such avehicle seat, a configuration provided in order that a seat cushion, aseat back and a head rest can be moved into retracted positions with asimple operation is known in the art (see Patent literature 1), whereina seat back reclining mechanism is unlocked by a first interlockingmechanism which operates in synchronization with a tip-up motion of theseat cushion, and a head rest is then unlocked by a second interlockingmechanism which operates in synchronization with a frontward tilt-downmotion of the seat back to allow the head rest to be tilted down intoits retracted position.

On the other hand, Patent literature 2 discloses a car seat configuredto have a seat back frontwardly tilted down at the same time when the aseat cushion is raised, wherein a damper is provided in a rotatorymotion mechanism of the seat back in order to avoid interference betweenthe seat cushion and the seat back.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

-   Patent literature 1: JP 10-297332 A-   Patent literature 2: JP 2007-191120 A

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

However, in the invention described in Patent literature 1, when theseat cushion and the seat back are moved into the retracted positions,the movement of the seat back starts after the completion of themovement of the seat cushion, and it would thus take undesirably muchtime to complete the movement of the seat cushion and the seat back.

In the configuration as described in Patent literature 2, change of theseat layout can be completed more quickly in comparison with the carseat of the Patent literature 1, but there is a possibility that therotatory motion of the seat back would be caused to start even when theseat cushion could not normally be rotated, for example, due to aluggage put on the seat cushion, or for other reason; such an unexpectedoperation would disadvantageously cause undesired creases or damages onthe seat cushion and the seat back.

Against this backdrop, the inventors named herein have created thepresent invention in the process of research and development forrealizing a vehicle seat having two, three or more seat parts whereinthe change of a seat layout from a use position in which the seat isready for use to a retracted position in which the seat not in use is tobe located can be performed quickly.

Solution to Problem

A vehicle seat in one aspect of the present invention is a vehicle seatcomprising a seat cushion movable between a use position in which theseat cushion is ready for use and a retracted position in which the seatcushion is frontwardly tipped up, and a seat back movable between a useposition in which the seat back is ready for use and a retractedposition in which the seat back is frontwardly tilted down, wherein thevehicle seat comprises an actuator mechanism configured to cause theseat back to start moving toward its retracted position at a time whenthe seat cushion passes a predetermined intermediate position that is ona way from a posture in which the seat cushion is ready for use toward aposture in which the seat cushion is tipped up.

For example, specifically, the actuator mechanism may be configured,though not limited to this specific configuration, to comprise a biasingmember including a seat back biasing part configured to bias the seatback from the use position toward the retracted position; a lock memberincluding a seat back lock part configured to lock the seat back in theuse position; and an unlock device including a seat back unlock partconfigured to release the seat back lock part applied to the seat back,thereby causing the seat back to start moving toward the retractedposition, at the time when the seat cushion passes the predeterminedintermediate position that is on the way from the posture in which theseat cushion is ready for use toward the posture in which the seatcushion is tipped up.

With this vehicle seat, when the seat cushion caused to move from theuse position to the retracted position travels a predetermined amountand comes to a position partway toward the retracted position, theactuator mechanism is activated (for example, an unlock device operatesto release the lock member). Therefore, the seat back is caused to startmoving (for example, by the action of the biasing member) withoutwaiting for completion of the motion of the seat cushion, and thus thechange of the seat layout is expedited. Moreover, since the seat back isnot caused to start moving until the seat cushion travels thepredetermined amount, the seat back will not move if any situation thatobstructs the movement of the seat cushion, such as something beingplaced on the seat cushion occurs, so that undesired creases or damageson the seat cushion and the seat back, which would be caused by themotion of the seat back activated while the seat cushion could not bemoved, can be prevented from emerging.

In the vehicle seat described above, the seat back unlock part may beconfigured to unlock the seat back after the seat cushion gets out of amovable region of the seat back or a head rest provided on the seatback.

With this configuration, interference between the seat cushion and theseat back or the head rest provided on the seat back can be preventedwithout fail, and thus wear and tear of the seat cushion and the seatback can be reduced.

In the vehicle seat described above, the seat back unlock part may beconfigured to o unlock the seat back at a time before the seat cushiongets out of a movable region of the seat back or a head rest provided onthe seat back and when the seat back or the head rest does not interferewith the seat cushion.

With this configuration, the change of the seat layout can be completedmore expeditiously while avoiding interference between the seat cushionand the seat back or the head rest provided on the seat back.

In the above-described configuration comprising the biasing member, thelock member and the unlock device, in cases where the vehicle seatfurther comprises a head rest movable between a use position in whichthe head rest is ready for use and a retracted position in which thehead rest is frontwardly tilted down, the biasing member may include ahead rest biasing part configured to bias the head rest from the useposition toward the retracted position; the lock member may include ahead rest lock part configured to lock the head rest in the useposition; and the unlock device may include a head rest unlock partconfigured to release the head rest lock part applied to the head rest,thereby causing the head rest to start moving toward the retractedposition.

Herein, the unlock device may be configured such that releasing of theseat back lock part applied to the seat back and releasing of the headrest lock part applied to the head rest occur at the same time when theseat cushion passes the predetermined intermediate position that is onthe way from its use position toward its retracted position. Thisprovides a quickly retractable configuration of the seat back and thehead rest.

Alternatively, the unlock device may be configured such that releasingof the head rest lock part applied to the head rest occurs at a timewhen the seat cushion passes a predetermined intermediate position thatis on the way from its use position toward its retracted position, andthe releasing of the head rest lock part applied to the head rest istimed to come before releasing of the seat back lock part applied to theseat back and to cause a state o in which the head rest and the seatback move concurrently to arise. With this configuration, the movementof the head rest occurs antecedently to that of the seat back, and thusthe torque required for causing the seat back to get tilted down becomessmaller so that the force to be produced by the biasing member to movethe seat back may be smaller. In addition, as the torque required forcausing the seat back to get tilted down is smaller, the retractingmotion of the seat back can be made more swiftly.

In a vehicle seat further comprising a head rest movable between a useposition in which the head rest is ready for use and a retractedposition in which the head rest is frontwardly tilted down, in additionto the seat cushion movable between its use position in which the seatcushion is ready for use and its retracted position in which the seatcushion is frontwardly tipped up and the seat back movable between itsuse position in which the seat back is ready for use and its retractedposition in which the seat back is frontwardly tilted down, the actuatormechanism as described above may be configured to comprise: a biasingmember including a seat back biasing part configured to bias the seatback from the use position toward the retracted position, and a headrest biasing part configured to bias the head rest from the use positiontoward the retracted position; a lock member including a seat back lockpart configured to lock the seat back in the use position, and a headrest lock part configured to lock the head rest in the use position; anda unlock cable having one end connected to the seat cushion and anotherend branching off to be connected to the seat back lock part and to thehead rest lock part, wherein the unlock cable is configured to releasethe seat back lock part and the head rest lock part applied to the seatback and the head rest respectively, at a time when the seat cushionpasses the predetermined intermediate position that is on the way fromits use position toward its retracted position.

With this configuration, the unlock cable releases the seat back lockpart and the head rest lock part applied to the seat back and the headrest respectively, at a time when the seat cushion passes thepredetermined intermediate position that is on the way from its useposition toward its retracted position; therefore, by causing the seatcushion to move, the movements of the seat back and the head rest can bestarted. Moreover, the unlocking operation is made by means of the cableand thus the movement start timing can be adjusted and changed withease.

In such a configuration that a cable is used to cause the seat back andthe head rest to start moving, the predetermined intermediate positionmay include a first intermediate position in which the seat cushion islocated when the seat back is caused to start moving and a secondintermediate position in which the seat cushion is located when the headrest is caused to start moving, wherein the first intermediate positionis identical with the second intermediate position.

With this configuration, releasing of the seat back and releasing of thehead rest occur at the same time using the unlock cable, and thus theystart being retracted at the same time, so that the retracting motionsthereof can be made more swiftly.

In such a configuration that a cable is used to cause the seat back andthe head rest to start moving, the predetermined intermediate positionmay include a first intermediate position in which the seat cushion islocated when the seat back is caused to start moving and a secondintermediate position in which the seat cushion is located when the headrest is caused to start moving, wherein the second intermediate positionis closer to the use position of the seat cushion than the firstintermediate position.

With this configuration, the movement of the head rest startsantecedently to that of the seat back, and thus the retracting motionsthereof can be made more swiftly while interference of the head restwith the seat cushion can be restricted. In this embodiment, the firstintermediate position and the second intermediate position may be setsuch that the seat back is caused to start moving before the head restreaches its retracted position. With this feature, the head rest and theseat back can be caused to start moving with timing such that therearises a state in which the head rest and the seat back moveconcurrently. Accordingly, the head rest starts moving before the seatback start moving while the moving times of the seat back and the headrest overlap, whereby the retracting motions thereof can be madeswiftly.

A vehicle seat in another aspect of the present invention is a vehicleseat having a first seat portion, a second seat portion and a third seatportion, which are movable between use positions in which the seat isready for use and retracted positions in which the seat not in use is tobe located, the vehicle seat comprising: at least one biasing memberconfigured to bias the second seat portion and the third seat portiontoward their respective retracted positions; at least one lock memberconfigured to lock the second seat portion and the third seat portion intheir respective use positions; and an unlock device configured torelease the at least one lock member to cause the second seat portionand the third seat portion to start moving from the use positions towardthe retracted positions at the same time when the first seat portionpasses a predetermined intermediate position that is on the way from itsuse position toward its retracted position.

With this vehicle seat, when the first seat portion passes apredetermined intermediate position that is on the way from its useposition toward its retracted position, the unlock device is activatedto release the at least one lock member. Accordingly, the second seatportion and the third seat portion start moving from the use positionstoward the retracted positions at the same time. Therefore, incomparison with the conventional vehicle seat in which the third seatportion will not start moving until some time lapses after the secondseat portion starts moving, the time required until completion of thechange of the seat layout can be shortened by the amount of time savedbecause the third seat portion starts moving simultaneously when thesecond seat portion starts moving.

Assuming that the first seat portion is a seat cushion, the second seatportion is a seat back, and the third seat portion is a head rest (or anarm rest), the seat back and the head rest starts moving at the sametime after the seat cushion passes the predetermined intermediateposition that is on the way toward its retracted position, and thus theretracting motions of the seat back and the head rest can be madeswiftly. Moreover, when the seat back and the head rest are caused tomove at the same time, these seat portions would never interfere witheach other; therefore, the structure for enabling the simultaneousmovements thereof would not be required to be complicate.

In this embodiment, if it is configured such that the first seat portionlocated in the predetermined intermediate position is out of a movableregion of the second seat portion and the third seat portion, theinterference of the first seat portion with the second seat portion andthe third seat portion can be avoided without fail.

Alternatively, it may be configured that the first seat portion locatedin the predetermined intermediate position is within a movable region ofthe second seat portion or the third seat potion. Even in thisconfiguration, the interference of the first seat portion with thesecond seat portion and the third seat portion can also be prevented byconfiguring the unlock device to operate with timing such that the firstseat portion will not interfere with the second seat portion or thethird seat portion, and the change of the seat layout can be completedmore swiftly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a car seat according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a seat cushion as viewed from the rear;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a support arm of the seat cushion;

FIG. 4 includes schematic diagrams illustrating a retracting process ofthe car seat according to the first embodiment, wherein (a) shows astate in which only the seat cushion is moving, and (b) shows a state ofthe car seat at a time when the seat cushion has come out of a movableregion of a seat back and a head rest;

FIG. 5 includes schematic diagrams illustrating the retracting processof the car seat according to the first embodiment, wherein (a) shows astate exhibited some time later after the seat back and the head resthave moved, and (b) shows a state in which the seat back and the headrest have completely been retracted;

FIG. 6 includes schematic diagrams illustrating a retracting process ofa car seat according to a second embodiment, wherein (a) shows a statein which only the seat cushion is moving, and (b) shows a state of thecar seat at a time when a seat back and a head rest has been unlocked;

FIG. 7 includes schematic diagrams illustrating the retracting processof the car seat according to the second embodiment, wherein (a) shows astate exhibited some time later after the seat back and the head resthave moved, and (b) shows a state in which the seat back and the headrest have completely been retracted;

FIG. 8 includes schematic diagrams illustrating a retracting process ofa car seat according to a modified embodiment, wherein (a) shows a statein which a head rest starts moving, and (b) shows a state in which theseat back has been unlocked;

FIG. 9 includes schematic diagrams illustrating the retracting processof the car seat according to the modified embodiment, wherein (a) showsa state in which the head rest and the seat back are moving at the sametime, and (b) shows a state in which the seat back and the head resthave completely been retracted.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[First Embodiment]

Hereafter, a description will be given of a first embodiment of thepresent invention with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a car seat 1 as an example of a vehicle seataccording to the first embodiment of the present invention includes aseat cushion 10 as one example of a first seat portion, a seat back asone example of a second seat portion, and a head rest 30 as one exampleof a third seat portion. The car seat 1 is movable between a useposition as indicated by solid lines in FIG. 1 in which it is ready foruse, i.e., for receiving a person to be seated or a luggage to be placedand a retracted position as indicated by chain double-dashed lines inwhich the seat not in use is to be located and which is achieved bytipping up the seat cushion 10 frontwardly (in a direction away from theseat back 20, i.e., such a direction as to enlarge the cabin's storagespace) and tilting the seat back 20 down into the resultantly createdspace. The car seat 1 is, for example, a rear seat of a passenger car,and configured such that when it is moved into the retracted position,the floor surface F1 for luggage in the floor F of the car body and arear surface of the seat back 20 (NB: in this description, thefront/rear/left/right/upper/lower directions are designated withreference to the posture of the car seat 1 in the use position) becomeflush with each other so that the floor surface F1 of the cabin can besubstantially enlarged. Particularly, in the car seat 1 according to thepresent embodiment, as evident from FIG. 5 (b), the rear end of the seatcushion 10 (located at the top in FIG. 5 (b)) is flush with the rearsurface of the seat back 20 and the floor surface F1 of the cabin, sothat the cabin's space is rendered very large.

As shown in FIG. 1, the seat cushion 10 includes a cushion body 11incorporating a seat frame (not shown), a support arm 12 supporting thecushion body 11 in such a manner that the cushion body 11 can swingrelative to the floor F of the car body, a torsion spring 13, and a lockpin 15.

In the floor F, at its front wall F2 opposite to the seat cushion 10 inits retracted position, a recessed portion F3 is formed which canreceive the head rest 30 in its retracted position without causing thehead rest 30 to get in contact with the front wall F2. Since the floor Fis configured such that the head rest 30 is received inside the recessedportion F3 formed in the front wall F2, the seat in the retractedposition can be stored compactly. Furthermore, the head rest 30 in theretracted position as shown in FIG. 5 (b) is folded to a position soclose to the recessed portion F3 formed in the front wall F2 that thehead rest 30 is acutely angled with the seat back 20 (i.e., the distalend of the head rest 30 is located rearwardly of the proximal endthereof), and thus the seat in the retracted position can be stored morecompactly.

The support arm 12 is, when located in the use position as shown inFIGS. 1 and 3, disposed to extend substantially in a front-reardirection, wherein front end portions thereof are pivotally supported onthe floor F at pivot shafts 12A, and rear end portions thereof arepivotally linked to a seat frame (not shown) by a pivot shaft 12B. Thepivot shafts 12A at the front end portions are disposed at an upper endportion of the front wall F2 of the floor F. The support arm 12 includestwo portions provided at the right and left sides of the cushion body11, and connected integrally together with the pivot shaft 12B into onepiece. Therefore, the support arm 12 is operable to cause the seatcushion 10 to turn without exerting a twisting force on the seat cushion10.

The support arm 12 is, in plan view as shown in FIG. 3, bent in itsportions that are in the middle or vicinity thereof in the front-reardirection to curve laterally to provide outwardly deviated bent portions12C. These bent portions 12C are disposed to overlap, in a side view, aregion through which the upper portion of the seat back 20 and the headrest 30 pass when they are moved from the use position toward theretracted position, which contributes to prevention of interference ofthe seat back 20 and the head rest 30 with the support arm 12.

The seat cushion body 11 includes, as shown in FIG. 2, a seating portion11B located laterally in the middle, and bank-like portions 11Cprotruding upwardly at the right and left sides of the seating portion11B to give an occupant the feeling of being supported. The support arm12 is located directly below the bank-like portions 11C of the seatcushion body 11, and thus creates no discomfort for the occupant beingseated. To be more specific, the support arm 12 is not under the seatingportion 11B, and thus would not mar the cushiony effect of the seatingportion 11B. In particular, in the present embodiment, provision of thebent portions 12C in the support arm 12 makes the support arm 12 detouraround the region of the seating portion 11B capable of being weigheddown, and can thus ensure that the satisfactory cushiony effect of theseating portion 11B would be maintained.

The torsion spring 13 is provided at each of the right and leftindependently provided pivot shafts 12A, to continuously bias thesupport arm 12 frontward, i.e., toward the retracted position of theseat cushion 10. This makes it possible to cause the seat cushion tostably move, and to achieve miniaturization of the torsion spring 13.

The lock pin 15 is a U-shaped member provided at an undersurface 11A ofthe cushion body 11 and configured to protrude downward therefrom, suchthat a hook-like lock arm 41 provided at the floor F is engageabletherewith in order for the seat cushion 10 to be fixed to the floor F.The lock pin 15 is provided at a single spot located centrally in thelateral direction. Accordingly, the seat cushion 10 would not be twistedby rotating force exerted by the torsion springs 13, so that thestability of the seat cushion 10 can be enhanced.

As shown in FIG. 1, the seat back 20 includes a seat back body 21, andis supported at the floor F in such a manner that the seat back body 21is rotatable about a pivot shaft 22 provided at a lower portion thereof.A torsion spring 23 is provided at the pivot shaft 22 to continuouslybias the seat back 20 frontward, i.e., toward its retracted position.

A lock pin 25 similar to the lock pin 15 is fixed to a sidewall S of thecar, and a lock arm 42 as one example of a lock member (seat back lockpart) is provided inside the seat back body 21, and configured to beengageable with the lock pin 25 in order for the seat back 20 to belocked in its use position. It is to be understood that the lock arm 42is continuously biased toward the locking direction by a spring (notshown).

The head rest 30 includes a head rest body 31, and a support pillar 32for the head rest body 31 to be supported therewith by the seat back 20.The support pillar 32 is supported by a pivot shaft member 33 at theseat back body 21. The pivot shaft member 33 incorporates a spring (notshown) to continuously bias the head rest 30 frontward, i.e., toward itsretracted position.

A lock arm 43 as one example of a lock member (head rest lock part) isprovided inside the seat back body 21, and the lock arm 43 is configuredto be engageable with the support pillar 32 to lock the head rest 30 inthe use position. It is to be understood that the lock arm 43 iscontinuously biased toward the locking direction by a spring (notshown).

Among the aforementioned members, the torsion spring 23 and the springincorporated in the pivot shaft member 33 are exemplary of parts of abiasing member (i.e., a seat back biasing part and a head rest biasingpart).

The aforementioned seat portions are configured to be moved throughmanipulation of a control lever 40, which is provided at an appropriateposition of the car, into the retracted positions. To be more specific,the lock arm 41 is connected via a cable 41A to the control lever 40, insuch a manner that when the cable 41A is pulled by manipulation of thecontrol lever 40, the lock arm 41 is caused to turn. The lock arm 42 isconnected to a cable 42A, and the lock arm 43 is connected to a cable43A, whereas the cable 42A and the cable 43B are connected to one cable44, and an end of the cable 44 is connected to the support arm 12. Withthis configuration, when the support arm 12 is swung frontwardly duringa motion of the seat cushion 10 caused to turn to the front, the cables44, 42A, 43A are pulled to thereby cause the lock arms 42, 43 to bereleased at the same time. That is, the cables 44, 42A, 43A are oneexemplified arrangement of the unlock device and the unlock cable(including the seat back unlock part and the head rest unlock part).

Timing of release of the lock arms 42, 43 can be adjusted by changingthe position in the support arm 12 to which the end of the cable 44 isconnected, the position of the cable 44 in the retracted position to theunlocking position (corresponding to the amount of play or the amount ofslack), and the like. In the present embodiment, releasing of the lockarms 42, 43 applied to the seat back 20 and the head rest 30,respectively, is timed to come after the seat cushion 10 goes out of amovable region (the outermost border is indicated by line L1 in FIG. 4(b)) through which the seat back 20 and the head rest 30 passes whenmoved from their use positions toward the retracted positions, andbefore the seat cushion 10 reaches its retracted position.

Operation of the car seat 1 configured as described above will now bedescribed.

Starting from a usable state as shown in FIG. 1, the control lever 40 ismanipulated, and the cable 41A is then pulled to cause the lock arm 41to turn, so that engagement of the lock arm 41 with the lock pin 15 isreleased. Once the seat cushion 10 is thus released, the biasing forceof the torsion spring 13 causes the seat cushion 10 to turn frontward asshown in FIG. 4 (a).

When the seat cushion 10 makes a predetermined amount of its turn, thecable 44 of which one end is connected to the support arm 12 is pulledby the support arm 12. This motion of the cable 44 being pulled istransmitted to the cables 42A, 43A and causes the lock arms 42, 43 toturn, so that engagement of the lock arm 42 with the lock pin 25 andengagement of the lock arm 43 with the support pillar 32 are released.In other words, the locks which have fixed the seat back 20 and the headrest 30 in their use positions are released at the same time.

In the present embodiment, releasing of the locks is timed to come afterthe undersurface 11A of the seat cushion 10 moves to an outside beyondthe line L1 defining the movable region of the seat back 20 with thehead rest 30 being folded down, and before completion of the motion ofthe seat cushion 10 toward its retracted position, as shown in FIG. 4(b).

When the seat back 20 and the head rest 30 are released at the sametime, the biasing force of the torsion spring 23 and the biasing forceof the spring incorporated in the pivot shaft member 33 cause the seatback 20 and the head rest 30 to start turning frontward at the same timeas shown in FIG. 5 (a). The seat cushion 10 comes into its retractedposition which is spaced a predetermined distance apart frontward fromthe floor F that was under the car seat 1 in its use position.

The seat back 20 and the head rest 30 are further turned until the seatcushion 10, the seat back 20 and the head rest 30 are all moved intotheir retracted positions, as shown in FIG. 5 (b). At this time, thehead rest 30 is in a frontwardly folded state and stored in a gapbetween the seat cushion 10 in its retracted position and the front wallF2 of the floor F. The head rest 30 is stored partially inside arecessed portion F3 formed in the floor F. Moreover, spacings betweenthe head rest 30 in its retracted position and the recessed portion F3of the front wall F2 are designed such that the distance from the distalend portion of the head rest 30 (located at its bottom in the retractedposition shown in FIG. 5 (b)) is greater than the distance from theproximal end portion of the head rest 30 (located at its top in theretracted position shown in FIG. 5 (b)); therefore, even when the motionof the head rest 30 being turned into the retracted position causes thedistal end thereof to rush rearward, a contact of the distal end of thehead rest 30 with the front wall F2 which would occur by the inertia ofthe head rest 30 is suppressed.

As described above, with the car seat 1 according to the presentembodiment, when the seat cushion 10 is caused to make a predeterminedamount of motion from the use position, the lock arms 42, 43 areactivated by the cables 44, 42A, 43A, and the seat back 20 and the headrest 30 start moving toward their retracted positions at the same time.Therefore, in comparison with the conventional configuration in whichthe head rest will not start moving until some time lapses after theseat back starts moving, the change of the seat layout can be completedquickly. Moreover, when the seat back 20 and the head rest 30 are causedto move at the same time, these members would never interfere with eachother; therefore, the structure for enabling the simultaneous movementsthereof would not get complicate. Furthermore, since the head rest 30and the seat back 20 are caused to start their turning motions and thusthe retraction of the head rest 30 is completed at a relatively earlierstage, the force (biasing force of spring, etc.) for causing the seatback 20 to turn can be reduced.

With the car seat 1 according to the present embodiment, the seat back20 and the head rest 30 start moving toward their retracted positionsafter the seat cushion 10 has moved a predetermined amount from its useposition and before the seat cushion has finished moving to theretracted position; therefore, in this respect as well, the change ofthe seat layout can be completed more swiftly than the conventionalconfiguration.

Moreover, with the car seat according to the present embodiment, theseat back 20 and the head rest 30 start moving toward the retractedpositions after the seat cushion 10 moves to the outside of the movableregion of the seat back 20 and the head rest 30; therefore, the seatback 20 and the head rest 30 would never collide with the underside 11Aof the seat cushion 10, so that creases or damages on the seat can beprevented from occurring.

The car seat 1 is also configured such that the motion of the seatcushion 10 and the motion of the seat back 20 do not start at the sametime but the seat back 20 moves after the seat cushion 10 travels apredetermined amount. Therefore, if the seat cushion 10 fails to startits motion, for example, because of an object placed on the seat cushion10, the seat back 20 will not start its motion, and thus undesiredcreases or damages on the seat cushion 10 and the seat back 20 can beprevented from occurring.

Furthermore, the recessed portion F3 provided in the front wall F2 ofthe floor F to allow at least part of the head rest 30 to beaccommodated can serve to prevent the head rest 30 from getting soileddue to contact with the front wall F2. Since this recessed portion F3 isprovided below a position of the floor F to which the support arm 12 isattached (i.e., below the pivot shaft 12A), a compactly retractableconfiguration of the seat is realized by effectively utilizing the spacein the floor F below the seat cushion 10. Particularly, in the presentembodiment, the recessed portion F3 has a bottom rearwardly recesseddeeper beyond the position immediately below the pivot shaft 12A, andthus the contribution to the compactly retractable configuration of theseat is great.

In the car seat 1 according to the present embodiment, since the supportarm 12 is provided with the bent portions 12C, interference of thesupport arm 12 with the seat back 20 and the head rest 30 can beprevented so that damage on the seat back 20 and the head rest 30 can beprevented, and space under the seating portion 11B of the seat cushion10 can be left unoccupied so that its cushiony effect can be retained.Furthermore, the bent portions 12C of the support arm 12 are located tooverlap, in a side view, a region through which the head rest 30travels, and thus even in cases where the head rest 30 is designed tohave a larger size, interference between the support arm 12 and the headrest 30 can be prevented.

[Second Embodiment]

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Indescribing the present embodiment, only matters different from those ofthe first embodiment will be focused on, and the same elements as in thefirst embodiments will be designated by the same reference charactersand its description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6 (a), a car seat 2 according to the second embodimentis configured to move up the timing with which the seat back 20 and thehead rest 30 start moving, in comparison with that of the car seat 1according to the first embodiment. For this reason, settings, such asthe position in the support arm 12 to which the end of the cable 44 isconnected and the position of the cable 44 in the retracted position tothe unlocking position, are adjusted differently. To be more specific,releasing of the locks of the lock arms 42, 43 is timed to come beforethe seat cushion 10 goes out of the movable region (see line L1 in FIG.6 (b)) of the seat back 20 and the head rest 30 with the proviso thatthe seat back 20 does not interfere with the seat cushion 10.

With the car seat 2 configured as described above, starting from a stateready for seating like that which is shown in FIG. 1, the control lever40 is manipulated, and the cable 41A is then pulled to cause the lockarm 41 to turn, so that engagement of the lock arm 41 with the lock pin15 is released. Once the seat cushion 10 is thus released, the biasingforce of the torsion spring 13 causes the seat cushion 10 to turnfrontward as shown in FIG. 6 (a).

When the seat cushion 10 makes a predetermined amount of its turn, thecables 44, 42A, 43A are pulled by the support arm 12 with timing suchthat motions of the lock arm 42 and the lock arm 43 occur before theundersurface 11A of the seat cushion 10 moves to the outside beyond theline L1 defining the movable region of the seat back and the head rest30 and the subsequent motions of the seat back 20 and the head rest 30travelling frontward do not cause interference of them with theundersurface 11A of the seat cushion 10, as shown in FIG. 6 (b). As aresult, the engagement of the lock arm 42 with the lock pin 25, and theengagement of the lock arm 43 with the support pillar 32 are released.In other words, the locks which have fixed the seat back 20 and the headrest in their use positions are released.

When seat back 20 and the head rest 30 are released, the biasing forceof the torsion spring 23 and the biasing force of the springincorporated in the pivot shaft member 33 cause the seat back 20 and thehead rest 30 to start turning frontward at the same time as shown inFIG. 7 (a), and when the seat back 20 and the head rest 30 comes nearthe seat cushion 10, the seat cushion 10 further turns frontward fromthe state shown in FIG. 6 (b) with the result that the seat back 20 andthe head rest 30 do not come in contact with the undersurface 11A of theseat cushion 10.

Then, the seat cushion 10, the seat back 20 and the head rest 30 furthermoves, until all of the seat cushion 10, seat back 20 and the head rest30 come to their retracted positions as shown in FIG. 7 (b).

In this way, with the car seat 2 according to the second embodiment, themovement of the seat back 20 and the seat cushion 30 starts at a timebefore the seat cushion 10 moves out of the movable region of the seatback 20 and the head rest 30, and thus the change of the seat layout canbe completed more swiftly. Although this embodiment is configured suchthat even in a state that the seat cushion 10 and the head rest 30approach nearest each other, a slight gap remains therebetween, afurther consideration is given to the temperature change and secularchange of the cable 41A for releasing the seat cushion 10, the cable 42Afor releasing the seat back 20, and the cable 43A for releasing the headrest 30, so that extra gaps corresponding to the amount of changesthereof mentioned above are added to thereby achieve increased stabilityof the motion of the seat being retracted.

Although two embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, the present invention may be carried out into practice inappropriately modified configurations, as in the other embodimentsdescribed below.

For example, in the above-described embodiments, only one particularconfiguration is described by way of example in which the seat back 20and the head rest 30 are released at the same time and thus caused tostart moving at the same time. To be more specific, in theabove-described embodiments, a first intermediate position and a secondintermediate position coincide with each other where the firstintermediate position refers to the position in o which the seat cushion10 is located at a time when the seat back 20 starts moving, and thesecond intermediate position refers to the position in which the seatcushion 10 is located at a time when the head rest 30 starts moving.However, the present invention is not limited to this specificconfiguration, but another configuration may also be an option in whichthe head rest 30 is released before the seat back 20 so that the motiontoward the retracted position of the head rest 30 starts prior to thatof the seat back 20. That is, the second intermediate position of theseat cushion 10 may be in a position shifted to its use position siderelative to the first intermediate position thereof.

Referring now to the drawings, the lock arm 43 is activated, as shown inFIG. 8 (a), at a time when the seat cushion 10 makes a predeterminedamount of turn toward its retracted position (i.e., at a time when theseat cushion 10 is in the second intermediate position), to therebycause the head rest 30 to start moving to its retracted position. Thelock arm 42 is then activated, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), in a little whilebehind the start of the motion of the head rest 30 (i.e., at a time whenthe seat cushion 10 is in the first intermediate position, that is, theposition short of, or shifted toward its use position relative to, thesecond intermediate position), to thereby release the seat back 20.Subsequently, the head rest 30 and the seat back 20 are both caused toturn frontwardly; as shown in FIG. 9 (a), and the movements of all thesemembers, i.e., the seat cushion 10, the seat back 20 and the head rest30, to the retracted positions are completed, as shown in FIG. 9 (b). Itis to be understood that the timings of the activations of the lock arm43 and the lock arm 42, shifted as above, may be set easily by adjustingthe unlock positions of the cable 43A and the cable 42A.

According to this configuration, in which the head rest 30 startsturning frontward before the seat back 20, the distance from the centerof the turning motion of the seat back 20 to the outer edge of the headrest 30 can be shortened, and thus the torque required when the seatback 20 is caused to tilt down can be made smaller so that the power ofthe torsion spring 23 can be made smaller. Moreover, by making thetorque required to cause the seat back 20 to tilt down smaller, theturning motion of the seat back 20 can be made quicker.

The timings of the motions of the head rest 30 and the seat back 20 maybe set without limitation to the above-described embodiments, andreleasing of the head rest 30 and the seat back 20 may thus be timed tocause a state in which the head rest 30 and the seat back 20 moveconcurrently to arise. With this configuration, the time of motions ofthe seat back 20 and the head rest 30 overlap, and thus they can beretracted quickly.

In the above-described embodiments, an example of the first seat portionis illustrated by the seat cushion 10, an example of the second seatportion is illustrated by the seat back 20, and an example of the thirdseat portion is illustrated by the head rest 30, but the seat portionsare not limited to the illustrated examples, and any other portions(e.g., an arm rest) of the seat may be configured accordingly. The modeof the change of the seat layout is also not limited to the illustratedexamples, and the motion of each seat portion may be designed in anyother mode.

In the above-described embodiments, members for locking the seat back 20and the head rest 30 are configured as the independently provided lockarms 42, 43, but these members may be made of a single member iffeasible in view of the limitations on the layout. For example, anengageable part for locking the head rest 30, such as the support pillar32, and an engageable part for locking the seat back 20 may be arrangedadjacent to each other, and a single lock arm may be provided which isconfigured to be simultaneously engageable with these two engageableparts.

In the above-described embodiments, members for biasing the seat cushion10, the seat back 20 and the head rest 30 are configured as theindependently provided members, but some or all of these members may bemade of a single spring if feasible in view of the limitations on thelayout.

In the above-described embodiments, an actuator mechanism configured tocause the seat back 20 and the head rest 30 to move from the usepositions toward the retracted positions is configured such that theseat back 20 and the head rest 30 locked by the lock members (lock arms42, 43) are continuously biased by biasing members such as springs, andreleased with predetermined timings, but the present invention is notlimited to this specific configuration. For example, the seat back 20and the head rest 30 may be configured to be driven by a motor.

In the above-described embodiments, the times at which the lock arms 42,43 are to be released are determined by configuring the cables 44, 42A,43A, but a sensor may be used instead to detect the posture of the seatcushion 10 so that the start of the turning motions of the seat back 20and the head rest 30 is timed according to the posture of the seatcushion 10 under the analog or digital control.

In the above-described embodiments, a car seat 1 is illustrated as anexample of a vehicle seat, but the vehicle seat according to the presentinvention is applicable to any other vehicle seat, for example, a seatfor a ship or for an aircraft.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A vehicle seat, comprising: a seat back,the seat back having an upper portion and a lower portion, the seat backbeing movable between a back use position and a back retracted position;a head rest connecting to the upper portion of the seat back; a shaft,wherein the lower portion of the seat back being rotatable about theshaft between the back use position and the back retracted position; aseat cushion, the seat cushion being movable between a cushion useposition and a cushion retracted position; a support arm of the seatcushion having a first end and a second end, the first end configured tobe pivotally connected to a vehicle floor, and the second end configuredto be pivotally connected to the seat cushion; a lock member having anunlock position and a lock position, wherein the unlock position allowsthe seat back to rotate about the shaft, and the lock position preventsthe seat back from rotating about the shaft; and an actuator mechanismconnecting the support arm to the lock member, wherein when the seatcushion rotates about the first end of the support arm between thecushion use position and the cushion retracted position, and when theseat cushion passes a predetermined intermediate position between thecushion use position and the cushion retracted position, the support armis configured to cause the actuator mechanism to unlock the lock member,and a length of the support arm is configured to accommodate the headrest between the first end and the second end of the support arm whenthe seat cushion is in the cushion retracted position, and a rear end ofthe seat cushion is configured to be flush with a rear surface of theseat back when the seat cushion is in the cushion retracted position andthe seat back is in the seat retracted position.
 2. The vehicle seataccording to claim 1, wherein the actuator mechanism comprises: abiasing member including a seat back biasing part configured to bias theseat back from the back use position toward the back retracted position;the lock member including a seat back lock part configured to lock theseat back in the back use position; and an unlock device including aseat back unlock part configured to release the seat back lock partapplied to the seat back, thereby causing the seat back to start movingtoward the back retracted position, when the seat cushion passes thepredetermined intermediate position.
 3. The vehicle seat according toclaim 2, wherein the seat back unlock part is configured to unlock theseat back after the seat cushion gets out of a movable region of theseat back or the head rest.
 4. The vehicle seat according to claim 2,wherein the seat back unlock part is configured to unlock the seat backat a time before the seat cushion gets out of a movable region of theseat back or a head rest provided on the seat back and when the seatback or the head rest does not interfere with the seat cushion.
 5. Thevehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein the head rest is movablebetween a head rest use position and a head rest retracted position,wherein the biasing member further includes a head rest biasing partconfigured to bias the head rest from the head rest use position towardthe head rest retracted position; the lock member further includes ahead rest lock part configured to lock the head rest in the head restuse position; and the unlock device further includes a head rest unlockpart configured to release the head rest lock part applied to the headrest, thereby causing the head rest to start moving toward the head restretracted position, wherein releasing of the seat back lock part appliedto the seat back and releasing of the head rest lock part applied to thehead rest occur when the seat cushion passes the predeterminedintermediate position that is on the way from the cushion use positiontoward the cushion retracted position.
 6. The vehicle seat according toclaim 2, wherein the biasing member further includes a head rest biasingpart configured to bias the head rest from the head rest use positiontoward the head rest retracted position; the lock member furtherincludes a head rest lock part configured to lock the head rest in thehead rest use position; and the unlock device further includes a headrest unlock part configured to release the head rest lock part appliedto the head rest, thereby causing the head rest to start moving towardthe head rest retracted position, wherein releasing of the head restlock part applied to the head rest occurs when the seat cushion passesthe predetermined intermediate position that is on the way from thecushion use position toward the cushion retracted position, and thereleasing of the head rest lock part applied to the head rest isconfigured to occur before releasing the seat back lock part applied tothe seat back and to cause the head rest and the seat back to moveconcurrently.
 7. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the headrest is movable between a head rest use position and a head restretracted position, the actuator mechanism comprises: a biasing memberincluding a seat back biasing part configured to bias the seat back fromthe back use position toward the back retracted position, and a headrest biasing part configured to bias the head rest from the head restuse position toward the head rest retracted position; a lock memberincluding a seat back lock part configured to lock the seat back in theback use position, and a head rest lock part configured to lock the headrest in the head rest use position; and an unlock cable having one endconnected to the seat cushion and another end branching off to beconnected to the seat back lock part and to the head rest lock part,wherein the unlock cable is configured to release the seat back lockpart and the head rest lock part applied to the seat back and the headrest respectively, at a time when the seat cushion passes thepredetermined intermediate position that is on the way from the cushionuse position toward the cushion retracted position.
 8. The vehicle seataccording to claim 7, wherein when the seat cushion is at thepredetermined intermediate position, the seat back lock part and thehead rest lock part are configured to be released together.
 9. Thevehicle seat according to claim 7, wherein the predeterminedintermediate position includes a first intermediate position in whichthe seat cushion is located when the seat back lock part is configuredto be released and a second intermediate position in which the seatcushion is located when the head rest lock part is configured to bereleased, the second intermediate position being closer to the cushionuse position than the first intermediate position.
 10. The vehicle seataccording to claim 9, wherein the first intermediate position and thesecond intermediate position are set such that the seat back lock partis configured to be released before the head rest reaches the head restretracted position.
 11. A vehicle seat comprising: a first seat portion,the first seat portion being movable between a first seat portion useposition and a first seat portion retracted position; a second seatportion, the second seat portion being movable between a second seatportion use position and a second seat portion retracted position; athird seat portion, the third seat portion being movable between a thirdseat portion use position and a third seat portion retracted position;at least one biasing member configured to bias the second seat portionand the third seat portion toward the second seat portion retractedposition and third seat portion retracted position respectively; atleast one lock member configured to lock the second seat portion and thethird seat portion in the second seat portion use position and the thirdseat portion use position respectively; and an unlock device configuredto release the at least one lock member to cause the second seat portionand the third seat portion to start moving from the second seat portionuse position and the third seat portion use position toward the secondseat portion retracted position and the third seat portion retractedposition respectively when the first seat portion passes a predeterminedintermediate position that is on the way from the first seat portion useposition toward the first seat portion retracted position, wherein thefirst seat portion has a front portion and a rear portion, the frontportion and the rear portion are configured to move forwardly when thefirst seat portion moves from the first seat portion use position to thefirst seat portion retracted position, and the rear portion of the firstseat portion is configured to provide a space between the rear portionof the first seat portion and a vehicle wall to accommodate the thirdseat portion when the third seat portion is in the third seat portionretracted position.
 12. The vehicle seat according to claim 11, whereinthe first seat portion in the predetermined intermediate position is outof movable regions of the second seat portion and the third seatportion.
 13. The vehicle seat according to claim 11, wherein the firstseat portion in the predetermined intermediate position is withinmovable regions of the second seat portion or the third seat potion. 14.A vehicle seat, comprising: a seat back, the seat back having an upperportion and a lower portion, the seat back being movable between a backuse position and a back retracted position; a shaft, the lower portionof the seat back being rotatable about the shaft between the back useposition and the back retracted position; a head rest, the head restpivotally connecting to the upper portion of the seat back so that thehead rest being rotatable between a head rest use position and a headrest retracted position; a seat cushion having a front portion and arear portion, the seat cushion being movable between a cushion useposition and a cushion retracted position; and a support arm of the seatcushion having a first end and a second end, the first end configured tobe pivotally connected to a vehicle floor, and the second end configuredto be pivotally connected to the rear portion of the seat cushion;wherein when the seat cushion moves from the cushion use position to thecushion retracted position, the rear portion of the seat cushion rotatesabout the first end of the support arm and the front portion of the seatcushion rotates about the second end of the support arm, and a length ofthe support arm is configured to accommodate the head rest between thefirst end of and the second end of the support arm when the head rest isin the head rest retracted position and the seat back is in the seatback retracted position.
 15. The vehicle seat in claim 14, furthercomprising: a lock member, the lock member having an unlock positionthat allows the seat back to rotate about the shaft and a lock positionthat prevents the seat back from rotating about the shaft; and anactuator mechanism connecting the support arm to the lock member of theseat back, wherein when the rear portion of the seat cushion rotatesabout the first end of the support arm between the cushion use positionand the cushion retracted position, the support arm is configured tocause the actuator mechanism to unlock the lock member when the rearportion of the seat cushion passes a predetermined intermediate positionbetween the cushion use position and the cushion retracted position. 16.The vehicle seat in claim 14, wherein a rear end of the seat cushion isconfigured to be flush with a rear surface of the seat back when theseat cushion is in the retracted.
 17. A vehicle seat, comprising: a seatcushion having a front portion and a rear portion, the seat cushionbeing movable between a cushion use position and a cushion retractedposition; a seat back having an upper portion and a lower portion, theseat back being movable between a back use position and a back retractedposition; a head rest connecting to the upper portion of the seat back,the head rest being movable between a head rest use position and a headrest retracted position; a lock member including a seat back lock partconfigured to lock the seat back in the back use position, and a headrest lock part configured to lock the head rest in the head rest useposition; and an actuator mechanism connecting the seat cushion to thelock member of the seat back, wherein the actuator mechanism includes: abiasing member including a seat back biasing part configured to bias theseat back from the back use position toward the back retracted position,and a head rest biasing part configured to bias the head rest from thehead rest use position toward the head rest retracted position, anunlock device including a seat back unlock part configured to releasethe seat back lock part of the lock member, thereby causing the seatback to start moving toward the back retracted position, and a head restunlock part configured to release the head rest lock part of the lockmember, thereby causing the head rest to start moving toward the headrest retracted position, wherein when the rear portion of the seatcushion passes a predetermined intermediate position that is on the wayfrom the cushion use position toward the cushion retracted position, theactuator mechanism is configured to release the lock member, and whereinreleasing of the head rest lock part is configured to occur beforereleasing the seat back lock part so as to cause the head rest and theseat back to move concurrently.
 18. A vehicle seat, comprising: a seatcushion having a front portion and a rear portion, the seat cushionbeing movable between a cushion use position and a cushion retractedposition; a seat back having an upper portion and a lower portion, theseat back being movable between a back use position and a back retractedposition; a head rest connecting to the upper portion of the seat back,the head rest being movable between a head rest use position and a headrest retracted position; a lock member including a seat back lock partconfigured to lock the seat back in the back use position, and a headrest lock part configured to lock the head rest in the head rest useposition; and an actuator mechanism connecting the seat cushion to thelock member, wherein the actuator mechanism includes: a biasing memberincluding a seat back biasing part configured to bias the seat back fromthe back use position toward the back retracted position when the seatback lock part is released, and a head rest biasing part configured tobias the head rest from the head rest use position toward the head restretracted position when the head rest lock part is released; and anunlock cable having a first end connected to the seat cushion and asecond end having two branches connected to the seat back lock part andthe head rest lock part respectively; and wherein the unlock cable isconfigured to release the seat back lock part and the head rest lockpart when the seat cushion passes a first predetermined intermediateposition and a second predetermined intermediate position respectivelythat is on the way from the cushion use position toward the cushionretracted position, and the second intermediate position is closer tothe cushion use position than the first intermediate position.
 19. Thevehicle seat according to claim 18, wherein the first intermediateposition and the second intermediate position are set such that the seatback lock part is released before the head rest reaches the head restretracted position.